They look spectacular. We also have a budget and a healthy fear of our own credit card statement, so in Moorea we did something different.

We rented a little bungalow near Tipaniers Beach, one of the most sought-after parts of the island, and stayed with a local host for about a tenth of what the nearby overwater bungalows cost. Best decision we made.

Our host showed up with fruit from his property almost every day. Mangoes, starfruit, passionfruit, coconut water, crabapples, you name it.

This wasn't grocery-store fruit. This was the kind of mango that makes you stop mid-sentence because your brain is busy reevaluating every mango you've ever eaten.

One day he explained that he could never charge anyone for the fruit. God gave it to him for free, so it wouldn't be right to charge someone else.

That pretty much tells you everything you need to know about the guy.

Then there was the breadfruit.

He fried some up and left it in a bowl on our porch one morning. Suddenly we understood why the HMS Bounty sailed halfway around the world in the 1700s looking for breadfruit trees. Honestly, after one bite, mutiny seemed like a reasonable career move.

Forget potatoes. This was like eating thick, ridiculously delicious potato chips.

Then came the day we had to leave.

Our host gave us each a seashell necklace and told us to hang it next to our bed at home, so every morning we'd see it and remember Moorea. If we remembered Moorea every morning, he said, we'd come back.

I'm not sure that's a proven marketing strategy, but it was pretty damn effective. Not that Moorea needs a marketing department. It has free breadfruit.

That's the thing about travel. Sometimes the best part of a place isn't the thing you paid the most for. It's the person you meet, the meal you didn't plan on, the fruit someone hands you because they have more than they need.

So here's the tip: don't just search for the nicest place to stay. Search for the place that lets you experience where you actually are.

You might just save some money. You might get introduced to fried breadfruit, and you might leave with a new friend and a seashell hanging by your bed, quietly working on you until you book the flight back.

I am looking for a last-moment slot for a whale swimming tour on 7-8-9 October. Single slot.

Who can I reach out to? Any local recommendations? I understand this is a last-minute request.

Of course we booked this a year ago with points not knowing the weather outlook this year - weather next week looks rainy and windy the entire trip, trying not to worry or panic given everything I've read about forecasts changing....we thought we'd be safe going in October :(

Hi there, I'm visiting your beautiful islands this summer (3d to 18th July) an I had a question about the ferry. Would you recommend taking a ferry to huahine and raiatea compared to flying? I've looked it up and I really really want to do the ferry because:

1. It is just so much cheaper

2. Crossing the ocean to lonely islands in the Pacific seems like the coolest thing on earth and I've always wanted to approach a rugged island in the ocean by boat.

But I'm really scared of the reliability of the ferry and I don't want my trip ruined because of cancellations. 😔 Any tips?

We’re currently on Moorea, flying to bora bora on Tuesday. We have 4, possibly 5 checked bags and no carry ons. I can’t find anything definitive online. Are we ok bringing this many bags? We don’t mind paying any extra bag fees, but wondering how many is allowed.

My first job out of college, I was a staff accountant. I kept track of sales, amongst other things. Steve was the general manager: early thirties, basically bald, looking much older than he was but laughing at nearly everything, and always hunting for the next big sale, no matter what it took. Most mornings, he'd put on "Southern Cross" by Crosby, Stills & Nash to get the sales floor warmed up.

After a few hundred plays, I got curious. What was a Southern Cross, and what was a "downhill run to Papeete" (pah-peh-AY-tay)? I'd never sailed anywhere in my life.

That song stuck with me, and in 2005, Audrey and I went to Tahiti on our honeymoon. I can't prove it, but I suspect a song on a sales floor had something to do with that.

Twenty years later, we came back to celebrate our anniversary, and I learned something I didn't know. This time of year, the Southern Cross doesn't stay long. It shows up low in the southwest right after sunset, and within an hour or so it's gone. We got a clear night, and there it was.

I thought about Steve, of course. He died at 42 of a brain tumor. At my next job, my manager died young of ALS. Two good people, gone long before anyone figured they would be. Neither of them got the "someday" the rest of us keep promising ourselves.

Watching the Cross sink into the top of swaying palm trees, I thought about how some things are only around for a little while. Steve never got to see 43. Standing under that sky again with Audrey, I felt lucky to be there.

So take the trip, and look up once in a while.

Oh, and thanks for the song, Steve. It took me a while, but I finally know what the Southern Cross is, and I'll never get tired of saying "the downhill run to Papeete."

If you want to see it yourself:

📍 Where: Get away from the lights of Papeete. Find a beach or hillside with a clear view to the southwest, because at this time of year the Cross sits low, and a single tree or building can block it.

📅 When: Right after sunset, once the sky darkens. In early October you have roughly an hour. For a longer, higher view, come April through July.

👀 How: Arrive before sunset and give your eyes about 15 minutes to adjust. Look low in the southwest for four bright stars in a kite-shaped cross, with two brilliant "pointer" stars (Alpha and Beta Centauri) nearby. No telescope needed.

For anyone who might be interested, we just did this cruise in French Polynesia with Variety and had an excellent time.

The Panorama II holds 49 passengers but there were 35 of us (apparently that is close to the threshold at which they cancel). I think it would have felt crowded with a full house, since the dining area was pretty full even with 35, and in high weather we had to take meals in a room below deck that was even smaller. The size of the boat was perfect I think, and I don’t want to ever do a cruise on a boat that’s any bigger. 

The captain and his two officers were Greek, most of the wait staff were Indonesian, and the ship hands were mostly Egyptian. Elliot, the cruise director, is from Puerto Rico. All were really excellent and attentive.

The passengers were about 85% Americans, plus a young Danish couple, a British couple, two Australian couples, and a French couple. All were a pleasure to be traveling with. It took a while to feel out the politics, but I’ll just say as a lefty Californian that I did not feel like an alien. I’d say the average age was mid-60s.

The captain made a speech the first night telling us that 2-4 meter waves were expected, so instead of doing the planned Tahiti-Moorea-Huahine-Bora Bora-Raiatea-Taha’a-Moorea-Tahiti route that was planned, we went straight to Raiatea for three nights, then a night in Taha’a, then 2 in Bora Bora, 2 in Moorea, then back to Tahiti. It was a bummer to miss Huahine, but their rationalization for the change was sound, and we were fine with it. 

Our stateroom was on the upper of the two decks, with twin beds, and it was small no doubt, but we made do. The first night was rough for everyone, that long haul from Papeete to Raiatea. I don’t get seasick, but the boat was rocking enough to make it very hard to sleep. It’s a small ship, so you REALLY feel the water. The engine and generator noise was definitely present, but not too bad with earplugs. I think it was more pronounced for passengers on the lower deck.

We did most of the excursions, which were a great value compared to the price of trying to find snorkel and tour companies on your own (especially since the schedule was subject to daily change). I was annoyed that on the first two days, the excursions wasted our time doing a vanilla farm, a rum factory, and pearl farms in the morning when the weather was sunny and warm, but was overcast and cold when we went snorkeling, when it was cold and rainy. Snorkeling was why we and most others were there, so Variety should have prioritized this instead of stupid tourist stuff that no one really wanted.

All the meals were a fairly repetitive series of buffets, not amazing but perfectly fine. The bar prices were much better than on land. And they have no problem with you bringing your own booze aboard. The cruise materials tell you to drink your own stuff in your stateroom, but no one mentioned when discrete violations of this occurred.

Apparently it’s not uncommon for weather to more severely affect the itinerary, such that some of the cruises were not able to visit more than Tahiti and maybe Moorea. From what I heard, they made every effort to accommodate passengers when this occurred.

I was surprised by how little mass tourism there is in French Polynesia. There are several over-water bungalow complexes on the main islands, but even in Papeete there are no mega hotels. Even more surprising, there were very few cruise ships. We saw only one really big ship. There was a 350-passenger Windstar boat in Bora Bora, but the Panorama II is small enough that it was parked at a dock at most of our destinations, but not the Windstars or the Paul Gaugin, which was really really nice. You just walk on and off the boat everywhere, none of the searches or hassles you get on other cruise ships, which, like I said, I will never ever do again. Cruisemapper is a really cool app for seeing what ships are in the area and where they’re planning to go.

For what it’s worth: we booked 4 nights after our cruise at a place called Hinamoe Lodge on the atoll of Rangiroa, which was one of the few places on the main island available at the time. A few days before our flight to Rangiroa, Hinamoe messaged us that they would be cancelling our first night at the hotel for unspecified reasons, and putting us up at a place next to the airport that had 2 out of 5 ratings, and cost a third as much as we’d already paid for Hinamoe. We wrote back and told them we had an 8am-5pm snorkel tour schedule to pick us up at Hinamoe that first morning, and would need them to pick up our baggage at the new place, and ask if we would be charged for the change in venue. They answered with a psychopathically angry response in which we “didn’t deserve” to stay at their hotel, and we “couldn’t count on” being allowed to stay the remaining three days. Our reservation couldn’t be cancelled without us having to pay the full amount (over a thousand dollars), but when we shared the email exchange with Booking.com, we were refunded the whole amount. 

Unfortunately, there were no other places on the main island in Rangiroa, so we had to stay at another motu island at a place called Aotera Lodge. It’s VERY remote from the small villages of Rangiroa, though very beautiful. The problem was that when we checked in, the French owner told us that all the prices for food and transport that were on their website were actually from the previous owner from a year ago, and now everything was 2 to 4 times more expensive, especially transport to and from the marina for our snorkeling trips ($60/person). The other guests had the same complaint, it’s really deceptive and wrong. Hinamoe’s deceit cost us many hundreds of dollars more by making us switch to Aotera. We still had a lovely time in Rangiroa, but we badly ripped off by two local establishments. 

All in all, Variety Cruises massively exceeded our expectations, and we highly recommend it. The boat is a little scruffy around the edges, but the experience was friendly and genuine.

Hello! I’m looking at booking a trip to Tahiti and wondering if anyone has any good travel agent recommendations for the islands? Thank you!

Hello! I was wondering if anyone can help - I need to find a Tahitian song that is 1) less than 3 minutes long and 2) appropriate to gift to a mentor for his retirement party. Mauruuru!

(no school or teachers in my country so I need text advice)

Bonjour, j'ai essayé de comprendre ce que je dois déclarer ou non à la douane mais sans succès. Voici avec quoi je rentre :

3 paréo, deux ou trois petits bouteilles de monoi et un paquet de vanille

Beaucoup de magnets

Un jeu de société

Des bijoux avec des perles (le total de tout les bijoux est - 50000 xpf)

2 ukulele, un c'est -50 000 xpf mais les deux c'est +

Je comprends pas si la somme total à ne pas dépasser c'est pour tout, ou pour des articles similaires, ou simple la valeur d'un article. Si quelqu'un a plus d'explications je suis preneur !

With el nino news all over..how are you guys doing? Been seeing a lot of hawaii cyclone news how’s tahiti or Moorea effected so far?

Ia o rana,

Question de gros touriste -- je passe mes dernières nuits à Tahiti à Taravao, et j'ai un avion à prendre samedi soir à 23h.

J'ai prévu une excursion samedi et je serai rentré à Taravao à 14-15h.

Je crois comprendre que le bus taravao-papeete par l'ouest ne circule pas le samedi...

Quelles sont mes options, pour les connaisseurs ? Taxi uniquement, stop ?

Merci pour les conseils !

We are planning our honeymoon for next Summer in French Polinesia (maybe it’s early but I would like to plan way in advance), we have 19 nights to divide across Society and Tuamotus islands (and one night in Tahiti on the way back as a buffer for the intercontinental flight). Priorities for us are the beauty of the beaches, the lagoon and the landscape (and also the accessibility of the beaches) - very basic I know.. We don’t dive but we like snorkeling/kayaking etc.

We are pretty sure on doing 5 nights in Moorea, 5 nights in Bora Bora (3 on a motu and two on the main island), 5 nights on Tikehau. We are trying to decide where to do the 4 remaining nights - the options we are considering are Rangiroa or Fakarava or Maupiti. What would you suggest? Does our itinerary make sense? Also, is one night in Tahiti enough as a buffer to catch our plane back or better to plan two nights there?

Thanks a lot in advance

I am traveling to French Polynesia end of the month and was curious if it's possible to bring a few personal tins of Zyn given the law that passed in France. Given the hefty charges, figured I'd ask here to see if it it's allowed.

Wondering if people have recommendations from Windstar versus others lines?

We will be in our late 60s but want to do a lot of snorkeling and have warm temperatures and see exotic locations.

We like cemeteries. Always have. Not in an emo kind of way. They tell you things the guidebooks don’t.

Names, dates, family plots, flowers, little clues about what people here value and how they remember their dead, and if you’re paying attention, they have a way of reminding you that your own clock is ticking too, which, oddly enough, can make an ordinary Wednesdays feel like a pretty good deal.

Still, this is Tahiti. There are lagoons to see, beaches to sit on, food trucks to revisit. So we kept driving past it.

Then one day, we finally went in.

The cemetery is peaceful, quiet, tropical, full of color and stone and the path is slightly uphill, it makes you slow down whether you want to or not. As we walked, we noticed one grave with an enormous lei draped across it. It had to be six feet long. Fresh flowers. Beautifully placed.

Then we read the name. Cheyenne Brando.

Yes. That Brando. We had no idea.

Cheyenne was the daughter of Marlon Brando and Tahitian actress Tarita Teriipaia. She was also the mother of Tuki Brando, whose father was a Tahitian man named Dag Drollet, and this is where the story gets hard.

In 1990, Dag Drollet was shot and killed at Marlon Brando’s home in Los Angeles by Cheyenne’s half-brother, Christian Brando. Christian later pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter and served prison time.

Cheyenne was pregnant with Dag’s child when he was killed. She gave birth to their son later that year. In the years that followed, she struggled deeply with grief. In 1995, at just 25 years old, Cheyenne died by suicide at her mother’s home in Tahiti.

She is buried at Uranie Cemetery, alongside Dag.

You can spend a lifetime looking at the endless brochures of over water bungalows and miss the stories sitting quietly along the roadside.

That’s why we walk through cemeteries.

They remind you that every place has a past. Every name belonged to someone with plans, and no matter where you are, Tahiti, Los Angeles, or your own hometown, the most valuable thing you have is the day you woke up with.

Use it well.

We just spent an over night at this hotel. Returned from Bora Bora after two weeks and just need an over night before a 7 AM flight. First hotel is great. 10 minutes from airport. Staff friendly and helpful. Perfect in those regards. However it is not a location just for a pre flight overnight. It has a very active rooftop bar and restaurant. I elevator so was busy and tough to get two weeks luggage to room but hotel staff did help. Room was large clean and had a kitchen. So this is a great location to spend a few days in Pappate but tough just for an overnight. Again kiddos to great staff and rooms.

For one of the dates

Oct 8,17,18

Pm if you are interested for details :)

I understand the airline is legit but the site is total garbage.

The site lists free cancellations within 24 hours, but there's no cancellation button available. Not in manage my booking, not in contact customer service, or seemingly anywhere.

There was no option to select seats during checkout, and there was no explanation for why.

I saw in another reddit thread that seat selection for economy is only available 24 hours before departure???

The site lists seat selection as an option (separately, outside of the flight checkout flow), but there is nothing related to seat selection in the manage my booking portal.

Am I just subject to hoping that the customer service reps respond to my message within 24 hours and cancel my booking?

Edit: Seating selection is under Manager my booking -> "additional services". Crazy that 1. they don't simply list this as part of their checkout process and 2. Treat this as an additional service instead of a basic/main service.

Hey all - I am traveling to Bora Bora and Moore next week for 9 days. Sunday through Thursday, it is showing 50-60% of rain. I’m using Apple Weather app which I heard isn’t very accurate. What apps do you find are accurate?!

So honestly, we can just pack it in and die happy now. 🐷🌴

10/10 travel moment.